End Game
by Very Swampeh
Summary: Five Programs find themselves infused with the power of the mysterious CD and are branded with the signs. Soon they uncover a plot to destroy the Grid- and only they can stop it. 5D's plot with Tron concept; Dark Signer, WRGP/Arc Cradle spoilers.
1. The Derezzers

**This has been on my mind since I saw Tron (really, these two were made to be cross-overed) and I'm still hammering out details, since I'm waiting to see how 5D's ends. But I really want to do this, and any advice/suggestions would be loved! The twins aren't included in this, since I couldn't figure out how to work children into the Tron universe. But lots of characters will be showing up, so never fear (: The Dragons won't really be making an appearance, but you can expect to see the Earthbound Gods, Machine Emperors and the fabulous Arc Cradle group. I'll be using the Japanese names for everyone, just as a head's up.**

**Spoilers for WRGP/Arc Cradle arc, I guess.**

01. The Derezzers

It was quiet and the Program snuck as silently as he could towards the building. Like everything else in the Wastelands, it was shabby, run-down, and on the verge of collapsing. But this wasn't any building- oh, no.

This was the headquarters of the Derezzers, the most feared gang in the Wastelands.

The Program smirked as he slipped into the threshold of the building. His baton was held firmly in his hand, ready for activation. So far, it seemed clear. He glanced over his shoulder at the roof of a surrounding building and nodded once before ducking into the building. His teammates had his back, and would do their best to keep the Derezzers away from him.

He grinned as he surveyed the room. It was empty, which meant the gang was out. The Program hurried towards the back, where a large metal door stood. There was no doubt that the Upgrades the gang had been working on were hidden back there. And if he could get them, then his gang would be unstoppable.

"You lookin' for something?"

The Program froze and whirled around, one hand still on the handle to the door. A figure dropped from the ceiling, landing on all fours. For a moment, the Program didn't recognize him until the other raised his head, grey eyes gleaming. "Black Feather!"

"Damn right," Black Feather growled, standing up and brushing his clothes off. Aside from the standard lines, the blue lights on his shoulders formed a set of wings and talons were outlined on his boots. Hastily, the intruder scrambled to transform his Baton into a weapon, but it was knocked out of his hands by Black Feather's Light Disk. He watched with horror as his one chance shattered and the Disk flew back to its Program. Black Feather caught it with one hand and crouched, ready to attack again.

"I thought I asked you if you were looking for something. Which gang do you belong to?"

The intruder swallowed and took a step back, only to find his back up against the wall.

"Answer me!" Black Feather snapped, stepping closer. Despite the fact that Black Feather was short, the intruder couldn't help but be intimidated. The guy was one of the best fighters in Wastelands and the only signs that he'd been on the bad end of a weapon were the scars on his face- the strange "m" shape on his forehead and the two long gashes under his eyes that trailed down to his chin. That, added with the wild orange hair gave him a crazed air that was impossible to stand up to.

"I'm with Catastrophe!" he blurted out, unable to help himself. Maybe if he talked, they'd let him go free. "We're after the Upgrades you were working on."

Black Feather's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Moron. You can't beat us."

"I didn't come alone!"

A small smirk crossed Black Feather's face. "Oh, I know."

Almost immediately, shouting could be heard from outside. The intruder's eyes darted to the windows, but Black Feather didn't move. He couldn't see anything, but then something went flying through the window, sending glass across the room. One of his teammates landed on the floor with a _thump _and didn't move.

Before he could say anything, Black Feather had leaped, Light Disk raised. The intruder ducked and the weapon hit the wall with a shower of sparks. He rolled out of the way and grabbed his teammate's baton from the floor, fumbling with it as he tried to convert it to something he could fight with. Black Feather was coming at him again and with a grunt, he finally managed to change the baton to a sword.

The two weapons clashed and Black Feather dropped back to the ground. The intruder smirked, proud that he had managed to block an attack, but then Black Feather's foot came crashing down on his arm. He yelped and dropped the sword and it reverted back to the baton form. Black Feather slammed his heel onto it, and it snapped in half, completely useless.

Black Feather stalked up to him and leaned down, Disk pressed up against his neck. "Tell me why I shouldn't Derezz you right here," he said, pushing the Disk forward threateningly.

The intruder swallowed heavily. He couldn't think of anything. And, honestly, if he had caught someone sneaking into his hideout, he would have done it without a second thought.

"Trying to take all the fun for yourself, are you, Black Feather?"

The Program froze and then heaved a sigh and muttered something profane under his breath. "Go _away_, Red Demon. This one's mine."

Steps echoed across the room and the intruder glanced over to see a much taller figure with a flaring black coat stalk towards them. Two spikes were outlined in blue lights on his shoulders and he held a staff in his hands. "Yes, well, this one-" he poked the side of the fallen Program with the end of the weapon. "-Is mine. So tough luck, I'm here."

Black Feather scowled. "Whatever."

The intruder took that moment to escape. He was bigger than Black Feather and managed to shove past him as he sprinted madly for the door. Shouts echoed behind him and the clatter of boots reached his ears. But looking back would have been the end of him, so he kept running.

Then his way was blocked. The intruder slid to a halt, almost colliding with the Lightcycle that had stopped in his path. It was an older model and altered for the rocky landscape, but that didn't change the fact that he was now cornered. A glance over his shoulder showed him that Black Feather and Red Demon were behind him, both their weapons drawn and ready.

The rider of the cycle dismounted and the intruder bit back another groan. Now he was facing down three members of the Derezzers, but the newest arrival was none other than Star Dust, the best Lightcycler in the entire Wastelands. Any hopes of escape were long gone now. Without any other options, the intruder held up his hands in surrender.

Star Dust dismounted the cycle and took off his helmet. Like Black Feather, he too had a scar under his left eye, though it wasn't as thick as his teammate's.

The cycler's blue eyes raked over the other Program. "What were you and your team after?" he asked. Unlike the others, he was calm and didn't appear like he was going to take anyone's head off.

The intruder licked his lips. "The Upgrades you were developing."

Star Dust's eyes narrowed. From behind him, the intruder could hear Black Feather cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

It was silent before Star Dust finally spoke again. "Get out."

The intruder blinked in surprise. They were letting him go?

"What? You can't be serious!"

"He's after our stuff, you can't let him leave!"

Both Black Feather and Red Demon were furious, but one glare from Star Dust quieted them. For the most part anyway- they were still muttering under their breath and when the intruder glanced over his shoulder, Black Feather made a cutting motion across his throat and pointed at him menacingly.

He swallowed and glanced again at Star Dust, who folded his arms and stared down at him. Without waiting, he bolted, tearing across the Wasteland as fast his legs would carry him.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that, Yusei. He's gonna go get help and we'll have to derezz them all anyway."

The Leader sighed and glanced over at his two teammates. Now that they were alone, they didn't have to use their formal Program names anymore. "You know that's not true, Crow. He's too scared to come back."

Crow groaned elaborately and reattached his Disk to his back. "Whatever you say, Yusei. Just don't blame me when he shows up at our place again." Crow glanced back over his shoulder in the direction of their hideout. "Hey, Jack, what'd you do with that other one?"

Jack huffed and straightened his coat. "Derezzed him, of course."

"Jack!" Yusei exclaimed as he retracted his Lightcycle back to its baton form.

The blond looked offended. "He attacked me. What was I supposed to do?"

The three began walking back. The streets were empty, since it was their territory and most Programs in the Wastelands had learned better than to pick a fight with the Derezzers.

When Zero Reverse had happened several years ago, the generators that created Momentum had malfunction and exploded, causing everything outside the City to be destroyed and the Programs that lived there had been forced to fend for themselves. Those that lived in the Wastelands were known as "Outdates" and any other Program could kill them if they were to enter the City. Condor and Jester, the Programs that ran the Security section of the City, were relentless with this law and had, on the occasion, actually gone _into _the Wastelands with soldiers to go destroy the Outdates.

That was how they had lost Kiryu not too long ago. After that, they had moved further away from the City, taking up residence in some of the most far-flung reaches of the Wastelands. The B.A.D. Area, the City-dwellers called it, and with good reason. There was nothing nice about living out there.

Crow reached the hideout first and made a face at the mess on the floor. Besides the remains of the most recently derezzed program, the floor was covered with glass from the broken window. "Jack, can you do anything without making a mess?"

Jack scowled as Yusei slipped past them and unlocked the door to the room where the Upgrades were stored. "Well at least I didn't let mine get away when I had him cornered!"

Yusei slammed the door behind him as the two began to argue. Really, he was getting tired of breaking up all their quarrels. "They're going to have to sort this out themselves," he muttered as he sat down in front of the computer screen to go over the Upgrades.

It looked like everything was fine- soon, they'd be able to use the Upgrades on their batons, and if everything went as planned, their Lightcycles would have better acceleration and handling. Which they really needed- he couldn't count the number of times he'd had to fix Crow's Cycle from crashes. His main worry was that the cycles themselves wouldn't be able to deal with the Upgrades and would be damaged.

He finally left the room to find the main area cleaned of the debris from the fight. Jack was plowing his way through a cup of ramen while Crow had started cleaning his Light Disk. "Arg, it's dented!" he exclaimed, holding the Disk up and squinting at the piece of metal. "That jerk! If I find him again, I'm gonna Derezz him so badly he'll wish he'd never been made in the first place."

Yusei bit his lip and flopped down in a chair and cupped his head in his hands. "I think we can upgrade our Cycles tomorrow. The Upgrades are fine and I don't think I can do any more to them."

Jack swallowed a mouthful of noodles and looked up in surprise. "So we can do test drives then, too?"

"Yeah, we'll head out as soon as I install them." Yusei glanced over at Crow. "So you should actually sleep tonight."

Crow frowned, but nodded in agreement. Of the three of them, he had the worst sleeping habits and tended to stay up "just because." If they were going to be out driving their Cycles around at high speeds, Yusei didn't need Crow's concentration slipping or anything.

"See you in the morning, then," Yusei said as he got back to his feet and headed for the stairs. Food probably would have been a good idea, but he was too exhausted from the recent fight to stay awake much longer.

* * *

The next day, the three of them were out in one of the most remote areas of the Wasteland. Originally, it had been the sight of one of the power suppliers for Momentum, but when it had exploded, it left a giant crater, miles across in all directions. And that made it perfect for riding Lightcycles at high speeds.

The Upgrades had been installed before they had left their hideout and now all that was left was to test them out while speeding.

Yusei dismounted and motioned for Jack to go first. Crow lounged against a rock, twirling his baton absently while Yusei's eyes followed Jack's track around the crater. Even from this distance, he could tell that there was a definite improvement in the handling and acceleration.

"How's it looking?" Crow asked from his spot. He hadn't really been paying attention and glanced over at Jack, who had reached the far side of the crater.

"Good so far. I won't know how the Cycle itself is holding up until Jack gets back, but-"

"What's that?"

Yusei blinked when Crow cut him off. The shorter Program had one hand raised and was staring at something over Yusei's shoulder. Crow unhooked his Disk with a quick flick of his wrist and slid off the rock. The transition to "battle mode" set Yusei on edge and he reached for his own baton on his belt. Of the three of them, Crow had the sharpest senses and when he got nervous about something, it was best to take note and be ready.

At first, he couldn't tell what Crow had spotted but then he could pick out a figure moving along the rocks. Yusei squinted, unable to spot any details as to clue him in on who it was, but Crow relaxed a moment later. "False alarm. It's Aki."

Yusei sighed and released his baton. The approaching Program- one of the few females in all of the Wastelands- was heading towards them. She was more commonly known by her formal name of "Rose Witch" and had become an unofficial member of the Derezzers when Yusei, Crow, and Jack had moved into their newest hideout. She still didn't fully trust them- or anyone for that matter- since she had been exiled from the City shortly after Zero Reverse.

Aki was close enough for Yusei to pick out the rose design marked out in blue lights on her left shoulder. Next to him, Crow crossed his arms and gave Yusei a pointed look before sauntering over to the edge of the crater to watch Jack.

Yusei scowled at his teammate's back. Just because he had been the one to offer Aki shelter that one night didn't mean he had any sort of interest in her! He was just being polite, something Crow had yet to grasp the concept of.

"Hey, Yusei."

He jerked back to the other Program who was now in front of him. "Oh, Aki. Hey. What're you doing out here?" She wasn't a big fan of Lightcycles and couldn't understand their obsession with them.

She shrugged and glanced over as Jack made a lap and popped a wheelie just for show and landed badly, resulting in him going into a spin-out. Crow started yelling about being more careful; Jack responded with the finger.

Yusei bit back a groan as the Crow returned the gesture even though Jack was too far out to see it. Sometimes, those two were just impossible to deal with.

Aki fiddled with her glove. "I checked the hideout, but it was empty, so I figured you had come out here. It's the only place you ever really do go when you leave."

"Oh." Yusei cringed inwardly at his response. Here he was, the leader of the toughest gang in the Wastelands, and he could barely hold up a conversation with someone who lived under the same roof. "We had a break-in last night." It was a lame attempt to start a conversation, but he at least had to try.

She blinked once. "They get anything?"

"Nothing besides a beating. They tried to get the Upgrades, but we chased them out," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. Break-ins weren't that big a deal anymore. There was always someone trying to challenge them.

The two stood in silence as Jack continued around the crater. Crow had grown tired of watching his teammate and had made his way back over to the rock he had been sitting on earlier.

After half a dozen laps, Jack pulled up and dismounted, letting Yusei look over the bike. When he spotted Aki, he shifted defensively, eyes narrowing. It was still a knee-jerk reaction whenever he saw her- after all, when they had first met, she had tried to strange him to death with her Light Cable.

Yusei finally stood up, his inspection finished. The bike seemed to be holding up just fine, even after Jack's heavy abuse, which meant it would probably be able to handle any sort of terrain in the Wastelands. "Looks good," he said, cracking his back. "Crow, go ahead and-"

He stopped as a low wailing sound reached their ears. Aki's brown eyes went wide and Crow fisted both his hands angrily.

"No way," Jack said, hands going back to the handlebars of the Lightcycle. "What're they doing out here?"

Yusei shook his head as the sound grew louder. "Dunno. But we should probably leave."

The others nodded, but before they could make a move, several Lightcycles came tearing from behind a large jumble of boulders, blocking the way out. The Programs on them all wore the black and orange combination of cloth and lighting, with a large "S" on their chests.

Crow swore and Yusei couldn't help but agree with him.

"Security."

**Yes, the Grid has ramen. You know you want to live there.**

**Aki's Light Cable = Rose Tentacles, lol. Trying to match the characters to their weapons as well as I can, though nothing's perfect, especially with a crossover.**

**I think I'm responsible for about 5,000 pageviews on the Tron wiki site. I was dedicated in my research! Though probably still not 100% canon Tron; feel free to point out any glaring errors on my part. I'm still debating about putting this in the cross-over category; I'm using Tron, but not following its plot or anything. As the story progresses, the category might change.**


	2. Security

**Woah, this chapter is long! I'm all excited about this, now that stuff is actually happening. Hooray for Trudge! **

**Actual Lightcycle fight scene in this chapter. Woo-hoo, death games on motorcycles~**

02. Security

The Securities stopped their Cycles in a circle around the four Programs, blocking any chance of escape. Crow's hands were twitching in anticipation and both Yusei and Aki had their hands on their batons. Jack had managed to slip back on his Cycle, but at the current moment he couldn't go anywhere.

"Yusei?"

He glanced over to his right at Crow, who was slowly dropping into an offensive crouch. "No, Crow. Do not start derezzing them," he said sternly. His teammate's first reaction was always to fight, but there was a chance that they might actually get out of this without having to take the violent route.

Crow scowled. "But-!"

"_No_."

The Securities hadn't moved, and Yusei couldn't pick out their expressions through the helmets. It was impossible to tell if they were getting ready to attack or just doing some sort of patrol. But then, the fact that they were surrounded was a little on the malicious side. And patrols hardly ever went so far out in the Wastelands unless there was some sort of commotion that needed to be sorted out.

"So. It seems our source was correct in saying you were out here."

The voice came from one of the closest Securities. The Program dismounted and returned the Cycle to its baton form in one fluid motion. As he did so, his helmet melted away and Yusei ground his teeth in frustration as the Program's identity was revealed.

"Trudge." Despite his usual easy-going nature, Yusei couldn't keep the hatred from his voice. Trudge was the Program in charge of most of the Wasteland raids, and had been there when Security had taken out Kiryu.

The officer smirked, folding his arms across his chest. He was almost the same height as Jack, but was far more muscular than any of them. The orange bars on his shoulder flared as he sauntered towards them. "Seems you three have been causing some uproar out here lately," he said, ignoring Aki and squaring his gaze at the others.

Crow scowled and opened his mouth to respond, but both Jack and Yusei kicked him before he could say anything. "I don't know what you're talking about, Trudge," Yusei said, keeping his voice level. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jack's shoulders tense when some of the Securities shuffled in closer. "We haven't done anything."

Trudge raised an eyebrow and scoffed; a couple of other Programs chuckled along with their leader. "Our informant seems to say otherwise. One Knight Hook Program said he was assaulted by both the Black Feather and Red Demon Programs last night." The delight in Trudge's voice was almost tangible.

"What?" Crow exploded, unable to contain himself any longer. "That moron broke into _our _place. All we did was chase him out!" Jack grunted in agreement. "We even let him go!"

The Security leader didn't seem convinced. "Yes, but he said several of his fellow Programs had been Derezzed and that he would have gone the same way if you two had not been stopped." Trudge examined his gloves casually. "You know Derezzing is strictly against the law for you _Outdates_." He practically spat the last word out, lips curling back in a sneer.

Jack hissed at the insult. "It was self-defense; they were coming after us!" he claimed, pounding his fist on the handles of his Cycle.

Trudge's eyes narrowed. "I don't care. There was Derezzing and any Program caught doing it is to be arrested." He paused as two more officers came forward, ready to apprehend them. "Now, are you going to confess who did it, or do I have to drag all of you in?"

Yusei scowled. Trudge, after years of working in the area, knew the Wasteland mentality well: Life was rough, and most Programs would choose to go out together instead of ratting each other out.

But of course, they weren't like most Programs. "Jack did it," Crow said flatly, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at the blond.

"_Why you-!"_

And then all hell broke loose.

At Crow's words, the two Security Programs lunged for Jack, who revved his Cycle loudly and tore off, almost plowing over half a dozen other Programs, who barely managed to get out of the way. Yusei and Crow exchanged glances before whipping out their own batons and activating their Cycles.

No, they weren't like most Programs. Others would go down together, but they always got _away _together. Crow turning in Jack had simply been a way for break the circle they had been trapped in. Now that they were out, they could lose the Securities in the Wastelands (nobody knew it better than they did) and go about their business.

_Wait a minute…_Yusei paused as he mounted and whipped his head around. "Get on!" he called to Aki, who was still standing on the spot, looking rather alarmed at the sudden commotion. She jerked her head to him and then glanced uncertainly down at the hand he was holding out to her. The Cycles were in no way built for two, but he couldn't just leave her there with all the Securities running around.

Trudge had started barking orders and the Securities were racing after Jack and Crow. Aki bit her lip, but ran up to him and pulled herself onto the Cycle, her black skirt flaring around her legs. "Have you ever driven this thing with two people?" she asked nervously, trying to settle on the vehicle without having to plaster herself all over Yusei's back.

"No," he admitted, leaning down and trying to shift forward so she had more room. "Just hold on. This is going to be bumpy." He pushed his foot down and the Cycle accelerated forward, kicking up rocks and dust as he went. Aki shrieked in surprise and her arms instantly tightened around his chest as she clung to him. Up ahead, he could pick out the bright orange speck of Crow's hair; from the swerving he was doing and the occasional spark of light, it looked like he had gotten into a fight.

Yusei pulled up closer, passing several Securities, he found that he was right. Crow had his Disk out and was sparring with three of the Securities as they circled around him. As Yusei watched, Crow ducked a swipe of his opponent's Disk and swung his own into the wheel of the Cycle; the vehicle shattered and the Program went down, and the two Securities behind him crashed into each other as they tried to dodge the accident.

Crow let out a whoop and glanced over his shoulder to give Yusei a thumbs-up before accelerating further to catch up with Jack, Disk still clutched firmly in his right hand.

"Where are we going?" Aki asked, raising her voice to be heard above the wind.

Yusei chanced a quick look over his shoulder. The Securities were still coming, with Trudge leading the pack. "Don't know. Just trying to shake them," he replied, leaning down further onto the Cycle. In all honesty, there wasn't really anywhere they could go- there was a giant chasm not far from here, and if they got cornered there, it would end up in a fight without a doubt.

He ground his teeth in frustration as two Securities shot past him. Even from the quick glance, he knew that their Cycles had been designed specifically for speed, and that they would be able to catch up with Jack in no time at all. "Aki? I need you to hand me my Disk." Having someone else touch your Disk was almost unheard of, but in his current position, Yusei couldn't reach it himself. And no matter how much he didn't want a fight, if things got ugly, he wouldn't hesitate.

Aki stiffened at the request, but slowly unwound her arms from his chest and popped the Disk out of its slot. As soon as she held it out to him, he snatched it from her, unable to hide his reluctance to have someone else handling his Disk. She looked slightly offended at his lack of faith in her, but when Yusei sped up, she quickly grabbed hold of him again.

He was pulled up alongside Crow, who glanced behind them at the giant mob of Security Programs. "They really want to get rid of us," he muttered. Then he shrugged and twirled his Disk lazily between his fingers as he looked over to Yusei. "I'm gonna raise some hell here, so hold on!"

"What?" Yusei asked, blinking in confusion as Crow took a hard left towards a large pile of rocks. "Crow! Answer me!"

But the other Program was well out of earshot and didn't respond. As he reached the mass of rocks, he struck down with his Disk. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, with a groan, the small mountain began to collapse.

Yusei swore and pushed the accelerator down as hard as he could; even though he was ahead of Crow, the boulders were rolling in all directions and there was a good chance he'd be smashed if he got too close.

Shouting told him the Securities had gotten into trouble with the rockslide, but he didn't turn to look back. He had his hands full trying to dodge in between the wave of rocks that had managed to catch up with him. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Crow cackling like a madman as he watched his plan unfold.

"He's insane!" Aki hissed in his ear as Yusei jerked his Cycle to the right just in time to avoid a falling boulder.

"You have no idea," Yusei replied.

Crow pulled up next to them, grinning from ear to ear. "I don't think we'll have to worry about those. Just got those chasin' after Jack-"

"You can't get away from me!"

In union, Crow, Aki, and Yusei whipped their heads around. Behind them, Trudge had come blasting out of the rubble, somehow relatively unscathed. He looked furious and had his Disk drawn and raised.

"Dammit!" Crow exclaimed. "Do you want to take care of this one or go save Jack?"

Yusei ground his teeth together angrily and glanced down at his Disk. "I'll take Trudge." He did, after all, have a score to settle with the Security Program.

His teammate nodded once and sped forward towards Jack, who had started a fight with the two Securities that had been tailing him. Yusei hit the brakes of his Cycle and swung around before he accelerated again, heading towards the Program. Trudge looked surprised at the full-on assault, but he leaned down and sped forward, not backing down from the challenge.

Yusei raised his Disk, the device humming with energy as he neared his opponent. At the last moment, he twisted away and threw his Disk at Trudge, who had leaned forward in an attempt to hit Yusei. The officer swore and jerked his Cycle away from the incoming Disk, barely dodging what would have been a direct hit to his face.

Again, Yusei turned the Cycle around so that he was coming up behind Trudge. He snatched his Disk from the air as it came flying back around to him. By this point, Aki had forgone any sort of shyness and had wrapped her arms so tightly around his chest that Yusei was sure he'd have bruises- if not broken ribs- by the time this was finished.

Trudge's Cycle was much larger than Yusei's, but it lacked the speed that had finally been upgraded into his own Cycle. With a final thrust, he darted up behind the Security's back wheel and swung his Disk down, shattering the vehicle and sending Trudge to the ground. As much as he would have loved to Derezz Trudge right then and there, he knew doing it after being identified by an entire pack of Security Programs was a stupid thing to do. His only hope of avenging Kiryu would be to get Trudge alone.

He spared a glance over his shoulder at the Program, who was slowly pushing himself off the ground, obviously stunned by the impact. Yusei let himself smirk before tearing away on his Cycle, leaving his pursuer in the dust.

It took him some time to find Jack and Crow. When he finally did, he slowed down to a halt, and Aki immediately jumped off the Cycle and backed away, looking frazzled. Jack was hastily trying to cover up the remains of two Derezzed programs while Crow was leaning against a wall of rock, looking rather disappointed.

Yusei dismounted and reverted his own Cycle back to the baton. "Jack, did you Derezz them?" he asked pointedly. While their team name may have been "The Derezzers," they actually made a point of _not_ killing off other Programs. Crow had been insistent that they needed a "tough bad-ass name" to intimidate people, and the name had stuck.

Jack shuffled his foot in the dirt while giving Yusei a look that clearly said "what-do-you-think?" The blond crossed his arms. "Yusei. They were trying to kill me. I think this really qualifies as self-defense," he said slowly, as if trying to explain thermodynamics to a child.

Crow twiddled his thumbs. "I think he has a point this time," he added. Crow supporting Jack on anything was a rarity, so Yusei bit his lip to keep himself from saying anything more. Besides, now they had bigger problems to deal with.

Aki, who had been brushing her clothes off in an attempt to give herself time to calm down, finally spoke up. "So what do we do now?" she asked, combing her fingers through her hair.

"Well, we can't go back to the hideout," Crow said, sliding down into a sitting position. "Since they lost us in the rockslide, they'll watch our place and wait for us to show up there again."

Jack groaned. "All our stuff's over there…"

Crow gave him a look. "Because we had _so much _stuff," he grumbled.

"But the _ramen_," Jack moaned, heartbroken over the loss of his favorite food.

Yusei tried not to roll his eyes, but failed. "Stop whining- we have to get going before they move the rocks and catch up with us."

There were some grunts of consent and the group began walking, heading further into the B.A.D. Area. Using the Lightcycles would have been faster, but also more noticeable, and at that moment, they needed to keep a low profile. Aki spent the walk in sullen silence; it was obvious she wasn't pleased with the fact that she had to stick with the three of them while she ran from the law.

Several hours later, they had reached one of the old Momentum generators. It seemed a good a place as any for a break, so Crow kicked down the rusted door and the four of them made their way inside.

The inside wasn't anything remarkable, just a large, circular room filled with old, rusted machines and dirt. After some shuffling, the Programs managed to clear enough space on the floor to lie down.

"Who wants first watch?" Jack asked, nudging a large piece of scrap metal out of the way with his foot.

"I'll take it," Crow said, cracking his back as he stretched. "I'm too hyped up right now to sleep."

Yusei cracked a yawn and slumped down against a broken control panel. No, it wasn't comfortable, but it was going to be the norm until they found somewhere new to stay. And there was no telling how long that would take, especially with Security on the lookout for them.

He wasn't sure when he'd drifted off to sleep or how long he'd been out, but the next thing he knew, Crow was shouting something and was hanging halfway out the doorway. Yusei scrambled to his feet and stumbled over to where Jack and Aki were standing behind the shortest Program.

"What is it, Crow?" Jack snapped, thoroughly displeased about being woken up. The blond rubbed at his eyes, blinking rapidly.

"Look!" Crow pointed outside and Yusei followed it to where it was pointing. Up in the sky was a giant orange-and-white dragon, twisting around as it fought some sort of giant purple-streaked black bird. Both of them were screeching and roaring furiously.

With a thunderous roar, the bird released a stream of energy. The dragon snarled as it was hit, but retaliated, delivering a blast of white-orange fire, which hit its opponent right in the chest. The Programs covered their ears as the bird let out an ear-splitting shriek and flew away, disappearing into the thick black clouds above.

The dragon screeched again and collapsed with a _thump_, sending up a wave of dirt.

For a moment, the four of them stood there, staring at the large cloud of dust and debris. Even from where they were standing, they could pick out the outline of the beast.

"…What was that?" asked Crow, taking a hesitant step out of the building. As he did so, the dragon's wings flapped once, dispelling the dust. The four Programs froze as it shifted, growling and thrashing its tail.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling we're about to find out," Yusei replied, tensing as the dragon raised its head to glare down at them.

**Cheesy ending. Ah well. I really wanted to break this chapter before it got too long. And I can't be the only one who thinks the Earthbound Gods are made for the Tron universe. **

**Anyway, feedback is appreciated! **


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